Parliamentary Answers – to 2nd February 2012

This is a regular round up of Parliamentary questions and answers from ministers relevant to defence issues In addition to oral questions, MPs and Peers can ask government ministers questions for written answer. These are often used to obtain detailed information about policies and statistics on the activities of government departments. In the House of Commons ‘ordinary’ questions do not have to be answered on a specific date. An MP will date a written question for two days after they have tabled it (ie, submitted it for answer via the Table Office). The convention is that the MP can expect it to be answered within seven days of the question being tabled.

Question

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the aims and objectives are of the Government’s policy on Turkey.

Answer

vid Lidington (Minister of State (Europe and NATO), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Aylesbury, Conservative)

The Government’s Strategic Partnership with Turkey directly contributes to the UK’s and Turkey’s security and prosperity. We are making good progress towards the Prime Minister’s goal of doubling trade within five years of his visit to Turkey in 2010—trade figures for 2011 show an increase of 40% since 2009. We will continue to develop our already close collaboration on security issues in those regions where the UK and Turkey share significant interests, including the middle east, north Africa and Afghanistan-Pakistan. The UK and Turkey will also implement new defence agreements on training and defence acquisition, signed during the State visit, and develop our active programme of co-operation to counter irregular migration and organised crime.

 

 

Question

Dan Jarvis (Barnsley Central, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on improving co-ordination between defence diplomacy and the Government’s wider diplomatic efforts to ensure national objectives are delivered.

Answer

Alistair Burt (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Afghanistan/South Asia, counter terrorism/proliferation, North America, Middle East and North Africa), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; North East Bedfordshire, Conservative)

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend Mr Hammond, meet regularly in the National Security Council and other fora to discuss how to use all the levers of government to achieve our objectives. Last March, both Secretaries of State agreed to produce jointly a Defence Engagement Strategy to ensure we exploit fully the opportunities that our defence assets and activities provide for the adjustment of our wider international objectives. This strategy is being reviewed by Ministers and an announcement will be made in the House in the coming weeks.

 

 

Question

Michael Ellis (Northampton North, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding he plans to allocate to defence of the Falkland Islands in each of the next three years.

Answer

Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)

The current, provisional, forecast for provision of funding for British Forces South Atlantic Islands, through the Joint Forces Command Top Level Budget which will shortly assume this budgetary responsibility, is as follows:

Financial year	£ million
2012-13	61
2013-14	63
2014-15	65

From 2011-12, responsibility and funding for estates management, including accommodation costs and utilities such as electricity and fuel oil, transferred to the Defence Infrastructure Organisation; this and funding in the other top level budgets is not shown in the table, to provide each top level budget’s expenditure in relation to the Falkland Islands would incur disproportionate cost.

 

 

Question

Jason McCartney (Colne Valley, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to recognise the service of military veterans through a medal.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 January 2012, Hansard, column 11W, to Martin Horwood.

 

 

Question

Lindsay Roy (Glenrothes, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department is providing to veterans who are experiencing mental health disorders as a result of their service in the armed forces.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

Medical care for our former armed forces personnel remains the responsibility of the national health service. However, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with the Department of Health to implement all the recommendations contained in the ‘Fighting Fit’ report produced by my hon. Friend Dr Murrison. These include the launch of a 24-hour helpline, the introduction of an enhanced mental health assessment in discharge medicals, the introduction of an online early intervention service, the Big White Wall, and the launch in April 2012 of a Veterans Information Service.

We also greatly value the work being done by the mental health charities, such as Combat Stress, and look forward to continuing to work with them.

 

 

Question

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 14 November 2011, Official Report, column 526W, on disclosure of information, if he will publish the findings of the inquiry into the unauthorised disclosure of the letter between the former Secretary of State and the Prime Minister which appeared in The Daily Telegraph on 28 September 2010.

Answer

Philip Hammond (Secretary of State, Transport; Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)

holding answer17 January 2012

The investigation remains open. The person responsible for the leak has not been identified.

 

 

Question

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to his Department’s finance transparency dataset,

(1) for what reasons £1,260.95 was spent on trips to bowling alleys by his Department; and who was present on those trips;

(2) for what reasons £69,923.26 was spent on music and piano stores by his Department;

(3) for what reasons £48,057 was spent on bars, pubs and nightclubs by his Department; what the dates were of such trips; who was present; and which venues were visited on each occasion;

(4) for what reasons £6,012.82 was spent on shopping trips to cosmetic stores by his Department;

(5) for what reasons £8,769.02 was spent on jewellery by his Department;

(6) for what reasons £2,004.80 was spent on cinema trips; and who was present on those trips;

(7) for what reasons £55,316.41 was spent on theatrical producers;

(8) for what reasons £16,584 was spent on trailer parks; and who was present on those trips;

(9) for what reasons £9,215.62 was spent at tourist attractions and exhibits; and who was present on those trips.

Answer

Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)

Ministry of Defence expenditure paid for by Government Procurement Card is, for security and administrative reasons, reported against merchant transaction categories of VISA‘S own taxonomy. The categories, which are designed to provide VISA with data on their customers’ business sectors, do not always accurately explain the nature of goods or services procured by the Department, and do not in themselves represent the full audit trail.

Expenditure listed as ‘trips to bowling alleys’ incurred between1 Apriland30 September 2011relates to leisure activities organised for Army new recruits as part of their induction into their training programme.

Expenditure listed as ‘music and piano stores’ (totalling £296,198.34) was incurred between 1 Apriland 30 September 2011in support of the Royal School of Music‘s training programme and on musical instruments for military bands.

Expenditure listed as ‘bars, pubs and nightclubs’, incurred between1 Apriland30 September 2011, represents the costs of accommodation and meals provided for military and civilian staff on detached duty, military operations and training exercises. I am withholding information on venues to protect the safety of our staff and suppliers.

Expenditure listed as `shopping trips to cosmetic stores’ incurred between 1 Apriland 30 September 2011relates to the purchases of demineralised water for a search radar in service with the Royal Navy and the purchase of air fresheners for waiting rooms and toilets in Careers Offices throughout the country.

Expenditure listed as `jewellery’ incurred between 1 Apriland 30 September 2011relates to the maintenance of a clocking-in machine at an MOD establishment, the purchase of new signs at an MOD establishment and for the provision of infantry dog tags and MOD police warrant card holders.

Expenditure listed as `cinema trips’ incurred between 1 Apriland 30 September 2011relates to the hire of a local venue for the Army Presentation Team and a leisure activity for new junior soldiers.

Expenditure listed as `theatrical producers’ incurred between1 Apriland31 October 2011relates to:

Car parking fees for Army and RAF Careers Offices in the west country.

Cultural awareness training for Army Officers.

Conference facilities for a staff awayday.

Exhibition stands for the disposal of surplus military equipment.

Local education services for a Service school.

Corporate hospitality for visiting VIPs from overseas.

Ferry tickets for Red Arrows‘ support vehicles.

RAF recruitment activities.

Activity in support of new junior soldier training.

Expenditure listed as ‘trailer parks’ incurred between1 Apriland30 September 2011relates to:

The use of a local swimming pool by an RAF station to provide sports facilities for new trainees, sports afternoons and rehabilitation therapy.

Accommodation for an RAF adventure training course.

Accommodation for a Joint Service Mountain Training Centre adventure training course.

Duke of Edinburgh award scheme activities in support of new junior soldier training.

Expenditure listed as ‘tourist attractions and exhibits’ incurred between1 Apriland30 September 2011relates to:

Annual car parking for an armed forces careers office.

Army officer training.

Acquaint visits to the Portsmouth Naval Base and Museum for potential recruits to the Royal Navy.

The annual Navy Day.

An RAF adventure training course.

Leisure activities in support of new junior soldier training.

 

 

Question

David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many incidents of data loss or breaches of confidentiality occurred in his Department in 2011.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

holding answer25 January 2012

I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 24 November 2011, Hansard, columns 545-46W. During 2011, in 13 cases which involved the loss of personal data, the information involved was assessed as protected personal data and so can be considered to involve a breach of confidentiality.

 

 

Question

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) how much the (a) Chief of the Defence Staff, (b) Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, (c) Chief of the Air Staff, (d) Chief of the General Staff and (e) First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff have spent on (i) gardening, (ii) entertainment and (iii) renovation and decoration of their official residences in 2011;

(2) how many staff were employed in the official residences of the (a) Chief of the Defence Staff, (b) Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, (c) Chief of the Air Staff, (d) Chief of the General Staff and (e) First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff in 2011; and what the cost to his Department was of such staff;

(3) how much his Department spent on accommodation for the (a) Chief of the Defence Staff, (b) Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, (c) Chief of the Air Staff, (d) Chief of the General Staff and (e) First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff in 2011.

Answer

Philip Hammond (Secretary of State, Transport; Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)

holding answer10 January 2012

Under previous arrangements, Official Service Residences (OSRs) were provided for senior officers in posts which required them to undertake official hospitality for defence purposes. As announced by the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend Mr Robathan, on 12 December 2011, Hansard, column 63WS, these arrangements have now been discontinued and a new Domestic Assistance policy will realise savings of at least £3 million per year from April 2012.

Figures for expenditure on Official Service Residences in the financial year 2010-11 are currently being finalised. For the financial year 2009-10, the costs associated with the properties occupied by the senior officers specified are set out in the following table. It should be emphasised that responsibility for decisions on expenditure relating to these properties lies with the Ministry of Defence, and not with the officers who occupied them at the time, or the current occupants.

Post	Accommodation (£)	Planned maintenance (inc. gardening) (£)	Entertainment costs (£)	Number of household staff	Cost of household staff (£)
Chief of the Defence Staff	17,000	450	2,000	4	128,000
Vice Chief of the Defence Staff	20,000	1,200	2,400	1	51,000
First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff	18,000	520	2,300	4	161,000
Chief of the General Staff	(1)108,000	0	2,800	4	161,000
Chief of the Air Staff	49,000	250	6,600	4	97,000
(1) This property is part of the Crown Estate and a grant-in-aid is payable.

 

Question

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on dry cleaning and laundry since May 2010; and what his Department’s policy is on allowing its staff to claim for such expenditure.

Answer

Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)

holding answer20 January 2012

This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The MOD’s military and civilian staff do not claim reimbursement for dry cleaning and laundry services, although they are permitted to use the flat-rate incidental expenses allowance for this purpose when on official business involving an overnight stay.

Where dry cleaning and laundry services are otherwise a permissible charge to the public purse, they are provided under contract (mainly as part of multi-activity contract arrangements), under local arrangements, through unit laundry facilities or by operational hygiene troops under field conditions.

 

 

Question

Katy Clark (North Ayrshire and Arran, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons his Department does not have contingency plans for the event that the outcome of the review of the legality of the CHARM3 weapon system under Article 36 of the Additional Protocol 1 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 concludes that its use could breach international humanitarian law.

Answer

Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)

CHARM3 provides our armed forces with a unique tank-based anti-armour capability which cannot be provided by other munitions.

 

 

Question

Katy Clark (North Ayrshire and Arran, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2012, Official Report, column 15W, on Challenger tanks, whether it is his policy that the CHARM3 weapon system could be used before the outcome of the review under Article 36 of Additional Protocol 1 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

Answer

Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)

Should the security situation demand it, before the legal review is ready at the end of February 2012, then Challenger 2 tanks would be deployed in combat operations with appropriate anti-armour capabilities that provide our service personnel with the best possible protection.

 

 

Question

Hugh Bayley (York Central, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) how many (a) Yorkshire Regiment and (b) Gurkha (i) full-time soldiers and (ii) reservists were based in (A) Yorkshire and the Humber, (B) North Yorkshire and York and (C) City of York in (1) May 2010 and (2) December 2011; and how many such soldiers he expects to be based in each of these areas at the conclusion of Tranche 2 of the Armed Forces Redundancy Programme;

(2) how many (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) RAF (i) full-time personnel and (ii) reservists were based in (A) Yorkshire and the Humber, (B) North Yorkshire and York and (C) City of York in (1) May 2010 and (2) December 2011; and how many such personnel he expects to be based in each of these areas at the conclusion of Tranche 2 of the Armed Forces Redundancy Programme.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

The information requested in respect of Regular armed forces personnel is shown in the following tables.

	May 2010		December 2011
	Yorkshire Regiment	Gurkha	Yorkshire Regiment	Gurkha
Yorkshire and Humber (encompassing north Yorkshire and York)
Regular	300	530	350	(1)360
City of York
Regular	30	130	30	130
(1) The reduction in Gurkha numbers is due to the routine move of Gurkha Reinforcement Company 2 from Catterick to Shorncliffe.

	Naval Service		Army		Royal Air Force
	May 2010	December 2011	May 2010	December 2011	May 2010	December 2011
Yorkshire and Humber (encompassing north Yorkshire and York)
Regular	180	160	12,670	12,900	2,000	2,160
City of York
Regular	10	0	820	800	10	0

Location information in respect of reserve forces is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Tranche 2 of the Armed Forces Redundancy Programme was launched on17 January 2012 and the outcome will not be known until June of this year. It is therefore too early to say at this stage how many people in each of these regions will be affected.

 

 

Question

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel were killed in action in each country in each calendar year since 2000.

Answer

Question

Jim Shannon (Strangford, DUP)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to continue additional payments for daily rates for service personnel in Afghanistan at the present level.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

Yes. Our armed forces are currently deployed to the most demanding areas of conflict. It is right that they receive allowances, such as the tax free operational allowance, for the day-to-day demands of a deployment in Afghanistan.

 

 

Question

Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat)

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many seats are reserved for civilians on the Falklands Air Bridge service; and what changes have been made since 2010.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they make available Falklands Air Bridge service seats unused by service personnel to civilian island family members and tourists; and if they do not, whether they have considered the impact of such a move on Government revenue.

Answer

Lord Astor of Hever (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Defence; Conservative)

The Ministry of Defence operates a twice weekly military air service to the Falkland Islands via Ascension Island. The air service is also used by passengers accessing St Helena. Under a joint agreement with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a number of seats are made available on each flight to the Falkland Islands and Ascension Island Governments. Those Governments are able to sell their seat allocations to local residents, and to commercial passengers wishing to visit these locations. These allocations are kept under review to ensure that they meet the needs and actual usage of those non-service personnel travelling to and from these locations. The following table sets out the current and previous seat allocations since 2010:

Seat Allocation	Falkland Islands Government	Ascension Island Government
October 2011 to present	21	10
May 2010 to October 2011	27	26
January 2010 to May 2010	29	26

Where there is spare capacity over the allocations to the Ascension and Falkland Islands Governments and military requirements, additional seats are made available to non-military passengers on a paying basis.

 

 

Question

Lord West of Spithead (Labour)

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are plans to ensure future refitting and maintenance work on the new aircraft carriers can be conducted in English, Welsh and Northern Irish yards, and to ensure that the Valiant Jetty can easily be moved to Devonport or a similar deep water port such as Milford Haven.

Answer

Lord Astor of Hever (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Defence; Conservative)

As part of work to develop a support solution for the Queen Elizabeth class carriers, a number of locations are currently being assessed. We expect an initial decision to be taken around the middle of this decade.

The Ministry of Defence has not undertaken any work on how easy it would be to relocate the Valiant Jetty.

 

 

Question

Hazel Blears (Salford and Eccles, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) what funding was provided by his Department to service leavers studying for (a) a first full level 3 or (b) a first higher education qualification free from tuition fees in each of the last four financial years;

(2) how many service leavers studied for (a) a first full level 3 or (b) a first higher education qualification free from tuition fees in each of the last four financial years.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

The MOD promotes lifelong learning among members of the armed forces, and this is encouraged through the Learning Credits schemes. The Enhanced Learning Credit scheme is designed to complement the Standard Learning Credits scheme by providing larger scale help to personnel who qualify, with a single payment of £1,000 or £2,000 (dependent upon length of service) in each of a maximum of three separate financial years, to help pay towards the cost of higher-level learning. It remains available for up to 10 years after discharge.

The opportunity to undertake full time higher education free from tuition fees was introduced in July 2008, and is widely advertised and briefed to all eligible service leavers. Fewer than five (rounded) service leavers entered full time education in 2010 at a cost to the MOD of some £420. About 10 (rounded) service leavers entered full time education in September 2011 at a cost to the MOD of some £21,000.

 

 

Question

Michael Ellis (Northampton North, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many university graduates the armed forces have recruited since the end of the 2010-11 academic year.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

Records indicate that between August 2011 and18 January 2012, 623 graduates have entered the armed forces.

 

 

Question

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which posts have been filled or created within his Department to oversee work on the military covenant in the last 12 months.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

holding answer25 January 2012

The armed forces covenant is a high priority for the Government, and this is reflected in the Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s business plan. Resources to take forward work on the covenant have been made available through the reallocation of existing duties across MOD head office and the services. Overseeing this work is the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel and Training).

 

 

Question

Hugh Bayley (York Central, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many full-time (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force personnel there were in (i) May 2010 and (ii) December 2011; and how many he expects there will be in the armed forces of (A) the UK and (B) other NATO member states in May 2015.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

The requested information, where available, is presented in the following table:

Full-time UK armed forces strength by service
	1 May 2010	1 December 2011
Naval service	39,230	36,960
Army	113,150	110,460
RAF	44,380	41,580
Notes: 1. Full-time UK armed forces comprises all UK regular forces, Gurkhas and all full-time reserve service personnel. 2. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.

As was made clear in the announcement on the strategic defence and security review, the Royal Navy will decrease to a total of some 30,000, the Army to some 95,000 and the RAF to some 33,000 by 2015.

We do not hold comprehensive information on the armed forces of NATO member states on a comparable basis.

 

 

Question

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) nature and (b) extent of military links with the Government of Argentina are.

Answer

Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)

The Defence section in the British embassy in Buenos Aires liaises with Argentine defence officials at appropriate levels in support of UK interests. There is no current bi-lateral defence activity.

 

 

Question

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the Statement of Intent on Carrier Co-operation and Maritime Power Projection with the US;

(2) if he will estimate the cost of the operations with the US on training covered by the Statement of Intent on Carrier Co-operation and Maritime Power Projection in each year up to 2020;

(3) if he will estimate the cost of the number of personnel who will be assigned to training covered by the Statement of Intent on Carrier Co-operation and Maritime Power Projection; and what training they will receive.

Answer

Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)

The Statement of Intent, jointly signed at Defence Secretary level on 5 January 2012, provides a high level framework for US/UK co-operation as the UK regenerates a carrier strike capability. Principal co-operative activities, including training, will be taken forward progressively through the working group structure established by the Statement of Intent and may, if necessary, be subject to separate and specific agreements. It is not possible at this early stage to provide estimates of costs that might arise from co-operative activities undertaken within the framework of the Statement of Intent.

The document will be placed in the Library of the House.

 

 

Question

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) how many of the soldiers who served in the conflict in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq were covered by PAX life insurance but with fewer than 15 units of insurance;

(2) how many soldiers who have served in the conflict in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq did so while being covered by PAX life insurance;

(3) how many soldiers who have served in the conflict in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq served without having PAX life insurance or any other life insurance;

(4) how many soldiers who have served in the conflict in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq were killed without having either PAX life insurance or any other life insurance.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

I will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.

Substantive answer from Andrew Robathan to Jim Murphy:

I undertook to write to you on 16 January 2012, Hansard, column 437W, in answer to your question about PAX, and other insurance held by service personnel serving in the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, the data requested can be found as follows:

Afghanistan
	Number
Served with less than 15 units of PAX Insurance	26,400
Served with PAX Insurance	55,900
Served without PAX or any other life insurance	(1)35,600
Killed without PAX or any other life insurance	(1)50

Iraq
	Number
Served with less than 15 units of PAX Insurance	6,400
Served with PAX Insurance	9,500
Served without PAX or any other life insurance	(1)10,300
Killed without PAX or any other life insurance	(1,2)—
(1) Figures provided relate solely to PAX life insurance as data about other life insurance that may have been taken out is not held. (2) ‘—’ = Represents five or fewer. Notes: 1. For the purposes of the reply all members of the armed forces, irrespective of service, have been included. The data are provided from 1 April 2007 onward as information prior to this date is not held. 2. With the exception of data for the number of personnel killed in Afghanistan (which have been rounded to the nearest 10), other figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Some personnel recorded as not having PAX insurance may nonetheless be covered by their spouses PAX insurance (i.e. where both husband and wife are serving members of the armed forces). 4. Personnel whose location details are deliberately obscured for security reasons will not be reflected in the data.

Question

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has any plans to remove the London allowance for its civil servants who live in London.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

holding answer30 January 2012

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) remunerates civilian staff through a London pay scale and through the payment of London weighting allowance. Both allowances are paid to staff who work in London. The MOD has no current plans to remove either of these payments.

 

 

Question

Menzies Campbell (North East Fife, Liberal Democrat)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2012, Official Report, column 416W, on aircraft carriers, whether his Department has conducted, or plans to conduct, investigations into the compatibility of advanced arresting gear with the Joint Combat Aircraft; and whether it has contributed, or intends to contribute, resources to investigations carried out by the US;

(2) on what date his Department was first made aware of compatibility issues in relation to the advanced arresting gear and the Joint Combat Aircraft.

Answer

Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)

The Ministry of Defence is aware of the F35C Arrestor Hook compatibility issues, which came to light during Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) testing in August 2011. Discoveries of this nature can only be expected during development of such complex technology and design solutions to the Arrestor Hook arrangements are already well advanced. These will be tested and proven as part of the ongoing JSF development test programme, in which the UK is fully engaged as a level one partner, with approximately 40 civilian and military personnel embedded across various US sites.

 

 

Question

Thomas Docherty (Dunfermline and West Fife, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft of each type are in service in each branch of the armed forces; and where each such aircraft is based.

Answer

Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)

holding answer30 January 2012

The number of fixed wing and rotary aircraft in service with each branch of the armed forces, and where each such aircraft is based is shown in the following table:

Aircraft type	Service	Based at	In-service fleet (number)
Apache	Army	Wattisham, Middle Wallop	67
BAE 146	RAF	Northolt	2
BAE 125	RAF	Northolt	6
C-17	RAF	Brize Norton	7
Chinook Mk 2/2a and Mk 3	RAF	Odiham	46
Defender Mk 1	Army	Aldergrove	9
Gazelle	Army	Aldergrove, Suffield (Canada), Middle Wallop	35
Hawk T1/T1A/T1W	RAF	Valley, Leeming, Culdrose, Scampton	129
Hawk T2	RAF	Valley	28
Hercules C130K	RAF	Brize Norton	8
Hercules C130J	RAF	Brize Norton	24
Islander Mk 1 and Mk2	Army	Aldergrove, Middle Wallop, Northolt	7
King Air	RAF	Waddington	5
Lynx Mk3	Fleet	Yeovilton	11
Lynx Mk7	Army	Dishforth, Odiham, Yeovilton, Gütersloh (Germany), Middle Wallop	50
Lynx Mk8	Fleet	Yeovilton	33
Lynx Mk 9/9a	Army	Dishforth, Odiham, Yeovilton, Gütersloh, Middle Wallop	22
Merlin Mk 1	Fleet	Culdrose	42
Merlin Mk 3/3a	RAF	Benson	28
Puma	RAF	Benson	31
Sea King Mk 3/3a	RAF	Valley, Wattisham, Lossiemouth, Leconfield, Boulmer, Chivenor, Falkland Islands	25
Sea King Mk 4	Fleet	Yeovilton	37
Sea King Mk 5	Fleet	Culdrose	16
Sea King Mk 7	Fleet	Culdrose	13
Sentinel	RAF	Waddington	5
Sentry	RAF	Waddington	6
Tornado GR4	RAF	Marham; Lossiemouth, Coningsby	136
Tri-Star	RAF	Brize Norton	8
Tucano T1	RAF	Linton-on-Ouse	91
Typhoon	RAF	Coningsby, Leuchars, Falkland Islands, BAE Warton	86
VC10	RAF	Brize Norton	9
Vigilant T1	RAF	Volunteer Gliding Schools (VGS)—Various(1)	65
Viking T1	RAF	VGS Various(2)	82
(1) Abingdon, Dalton Barracks; Chivenor; Cosford; Halton; Henlow; Linton-on-Ouse; Little Rissington; Lossiemouth; Newtownards Airfield; Odiham; St Athan; Swansea Airport; Syerston; Ternhill; Topcliffe; Woodvale. (2) Arbroath Airfield; Hullavington, Buckley Barracks; Kenley; Kirknewton; Predannack Airfield; Syerston; Upavon Airfield; Watton, STANTA (Stanford Practical Training Area) Airfield; MDP Wethersfield.

Question

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) on how many occasions Combined Air Operations Centre Finderup has directed Quick Reaction Alert flights from each RAF base;

(2) how many UK service personnel are assigned to each Combined Air Operations Centre.

Answer

ck Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)

To identify unknown aircraft in the NATO Air Policing Area, the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre Finderup issued direction to United Kingdom Control and Reporting Centres for the launch of UK military Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) aircraft on 10 occasions in 2011. The choice of the QRA base or bases used for each incident is at the discretion of the tactical commander and forms part of the deterrent value of our QRA posture. Therefore, this figure includes launches from both RAF Coningsby and RAF Leuchars.

The number of UK service personnel currently assigned to Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOC) is 47. The following table details the locations of each CAOC and the personnel numbers at each:

Location	Number of Royal Air Force personnel	Number of Army personnel	Number of Royal Navy personnel
CAOC1—Finderup, Denmark	16	1	0
CAOC2—Uedem, Germany	4	0	0
CAOC5—Poggio Renatico, Italy	0	0	0
C AOC6—Eskesehir, Turkey	0	0	0
CAOC7—Larissa, Greece	0	0	0
CAOC8—Torrejon, Spain	0	0	0

CAOC10—Monsanto, Portugal	0	1	0
Air Component Command CAOC-Al Udeid	23	2	0
Total	43	4	0
Note: CAOCs 3, 4 and 9 have been inactive since 2008.

Question

Hazel Blears (Salford and Eccles, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the careers advice provided to service personnel upon the conclusion of their service.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

The Ministry of Defence fully understands that making the transition from the armed forces into civilian life can be daunting and we remain committed to supporting service leavers in making this important step. Critical to this is having in place a robust and effective resettlement system that allows our service personnel to serve secure in the knowledge that they will receive professional and tailored assistance upon leaving.

To monitor the quality of the careers advice we offer our people, there are in place a number of governance procedures, through nationally recognised accreditation standards as well as internal monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. As a result, 95% of entitled service personnel who are leaving the armed forces elect to use the advice we offer them.

 

 

Question

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2012, Official Report, column 940W, on Harrier aircraft,

(1) what monetary value was given to the associated support equipment included in the sale of the Harrier aircraft;

(2) what the original cost was of the associated support equipment included in the sale of the Harrier aircraft to the US; and if he will make a statement;

(3) which company or companies invoiced his Department for (a) £0.7 million and (b) £0.4 million for consultancy services associated with the sale of Harrier aircraft to the US; what the consultancy services provided were; and how many hours of work, by how many consultants, these payments were for.

Answer

Question

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2011, Official Report, column 947W, on military aircraft, when he expects to publish the findings of the capability investigation on maritime surveillance capability; and if he will make a statement.

Answer

Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)

The Ministry of Defence has completed its capability investigation into its long term requirements for maritime surveillance capability, but I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

 

 

Statement

Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)

I am pleased that we are publishing today our White Paper on “National Security Through Technology: Technology, Equipment, and Support for UK Defence and Security” which has been developed jointly with the Home Office. This fulfils one of our commitments in the strategic defence and security review and follows on from the Green Paper “Equipment, Support and Technology for UK Defence and Security:

A Consultation Paper”. As its title implies, the White Paper emphasises the contribution that using, sustaining and developing technology makes to our security.

This is the first time that the UK Government have set a formal statement of our approach to defence and security technology, equipment, and support. This is our high-level policy until the next strategic review, which is expected to be held in about 2015. It supersedes the defence industrial strategy 2005 and the defence technology strategy 2006.

We must ensure that our armed forces, national security, and law enforcement agencies have the best capabilities we can afford at the best value for money for the taxpayer. Balancing these considerations appropriately is even more important given the economic situation we face.

Wherever possible, therefore, we will seek to fulfil the UK’s defence and security requirements through open competition in the domestic and global market, buying off-the-shelf where appropriate. We will look first for products that are proven, that are reliable and that meet our current needs. This is the best way of ensuring that our armed forces and security services have access to the equipment they need at the time they need it and at a price the nation can afford.

However, and importantly, where essential for national security, we will protect the UK’s operational advantages and freedom of action; when we do this it will mean sustaining the necessary people, skills, infrastructure, and intellectual property that allow us to build and maintain our national security.

Technology underpins this approach so it is our intention to end a long period of declining budgets and maintain MOD’s investment in science and technology at a minimum of 1.2% of the defence budget as protection for our future.

Defence and security procurement has a significant industrial and economic impact. Our policy on technology, equipment and support for UK defence and security also supports our wider economic policy objective to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth for the UK. A healthy and competitive defence and security industry in the UK contributes to growth and a re-balanced economy.

The White Paper reaffirms our commitment to doing our utmost to assist UK-based suppliers in obtaining export orders and to increase opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to fulfil their potential. We will continue to create the right conditions for SMEs to deliver the innovation and flexibility that we need and which they bring. We are doing this because of the benefits to the companies themselves, to the wider UK economy and to the security of the United Kingdom.

This assistance for SMEs is part of our wider work to ensure public procurement promotes growth, and includes publishing medium-term procurement pipelines; simplifying procurement processes to reduce burdens on industry, and engaging with potential suppliers at a much earlier stage, before formal procurement begins, to increase their opportunities to participate.

The defence and security sectors are vital to the success of the UK economy. In 2010 the UK was the second biggest exporter in the world with £6 billion of sales and the UK security industry was the fifth most

successful exporter of security products with £2 billion of sales. The Government remain committed to robust and effective national and global controls to help prevent exports that could undermine our own security or core values of human rights and democracy; to protect our security through enhancing strategic defence relationships; and to promote our prosperity by allowing UK defence and security companies to operate effectively in the global defence market.

We are proud of the strength of the UK defence and security industries. They help provide the UK armed forces, national security, and law enforcement agencies with some of the very best kit available. They are better equipped now than they have ever been. We recognise the wider impact that Government spending choices on defence and security can have and we are therefore establishing a new ministerial working group to co-ordinate the cross-Government aspects of our new approach.

This White Paper, alongside the publication later this year of the MOD’s 10-year equipment plan, is intended to be a high-level guide to our approach to meeting the requirements of our armed forces. At a time of financial constraint across Government, it is even more important to provide the clarity that will help industry to invest in the right areas, protecting both our security and the contribution these companies make to the UK economy. We plan to continue to invest a significant amount in defence equipment and its support: over £150 billion over the next 10 years.

The White Paper is part of a broader defence transformation programme, which also includes implementation of the Levene review, the Materiel Strategy, and Lord Currie’s review of Government Single Source Pricing Regulations.

As the companies offering defence and security products and services become increasingly aligned, these steps will encourage a vibrant UK-based industry that is able to win a significant share of the world market, and to meet the varied and changing capabilities required by our armed forces and security services.